Can the American political scene get any more pathetic? (No, don’t answer that — of course it can, all it needs is to reelect W Bush and we’ll be beyond the very concept of “pathetic” and into a whole new realm of ass-backwards).

This is from the Associated Press…this is not a joke (Thu Sep 9, 9:24 PM ET By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer)

Indicators measure the nation’s unemployment rate, consumer spending and other economic milestones, but Vice President Dick Cheney says it misses the hundreds of thousands who make money selling on eBay.

“That’s a source that didn’t even exist 10 years ago,” Cheney told an audience in Cincinnati on Thursday. “Four hundred thousand people make some money trading on eBay.”

eBay is an Internet auction site where anyone can sell just about anything, including clothing, cell phones, jewelry, memorabilia, trinkets and automobiles.

Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards responded that Cheney’s comments show how “out of touch” he and President Bush are with the economy.

“If we only included bake sales and how much money kids make at lemonade stands, this economy would really be cooking,” Edwards said in a statement.

Associated Press writers Laura Meckler in Cincinnati and Liz Sidoti in Washington contributed to this report.